Acton-Boxborough edges Cambridge boys basketball

Saturday

The Acton-Boxborough boys basketball team traveled to Cambridge on Friday, Jan. 11 to take on the perennial powerhouse Cambridge Rindge & Latin Falcons.

The Colonials came out with a hard earned 44-41 victory.

A-B scored first when Lukas DeSchepper was fouled down low and made one of two from the foul line. A drive by senior captain Austin Zhou and a pass from DeSchepper to Shea Doherty down low for a hoop allowed A-B to take a 5-1 lead.

Cambridge's Solomon Hearn came alive scoring on an offensive put-back and a layup to tie the game at five with 4:56 to go in the first quarter. Two more layups from Zhou and a shot from the top of the key by DeSchepper gave the Colonials a 12-8 lead going into the second quarter.

The Colonials came out strong in the second. A turn-around jumper by Doherty, a shot down low by Finn Murray, and an offense rebound and put-back by Bobby Sweet gave A-B a 18-10 lead with 2:30 left in the half. The Colonials finished the half strong with a drives by Zhou and Doherty and an offensive put-back by Murray, giving A-B a 25-15 lead at halftime.

A-B came out slow in the third quarter and Cambridge's Khai Smith went to work in the paint. As a result, A-B's lead was cut to 33-31 at the end of the third.

In a quarter when A=B struggled at the foul line, going just seven for 13, senior Stan Bernard went 4-4 from the line.

Cambridge pulled to within one point of A-B with 5:08 left in the game when God West was fouled and made one of two from the line.

Zhou drove to the hoop twice, scoring on one and being fouled on the other to give the Colonials a 38-35 lead with 3:10 on the clock.

Cambridge's Khai Smith fouled out and Bernard made two foul shots with 1:05 left in the game to make the score 42-38.

A 3-pointer by Cambridge's Hearn cut A-B's lead to 43-41 with 8 seconds left. A foul shot by Zhou and a missed buzzer-beating three pointer by the Falcons gave the Colonials a hard-earned 44-41 win.

Austin Zhou and Shea Doherty led AB scorers with 14 points each. Stan Bernard added seven points. The Colonials improved their record to 8-1 with the win.